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The staff of NNS is one of the most diverse newsrooms in the nation. We exist to not only inform but to help transform the neighborhoods we serve. (Photo by Tonda Thompson)
The mighty Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, a hyperlocal nonprofit newsroom that covers Black and brown communities in Milwaukee, seeks a full-time managing editor (one-year contract position) to take us to new heights in journalism.
This is a key role in our 10-year-old newsroom, and we are looking for someone who is both a champion of excellent journalism as well as a champion of the people who produce the excellent work. We’re looking for someone with top-notch leadership skills and impeccable news judgment.
You must be committed to collaboration, appreciate diversity and inclusion and have a passion for coaching a talented newsroom while juggling multiple projects.
This position reports directly to the editor/project director, and you must be comfortable working with community residents, students, emerging journalists and seasoned veterans to create stories that resonate with readers who often are neglected, underrepresented or misrepresented by other media.
Our staffers don’t parachute into our communities and then leave, we are embedded in our neighborhoods, and we remain invested in the lives of our readers.
As we inform, we believe we can transform through the power of fact-based multimedia reporting. We are looking for the person who can bring out the best in our staff and can help us continue to be a must-read for all those interested in what’s happening in Milwaukee’s central city neighborhoods.
In this role, you will:
- Edit stories, graphics and visuals to ensure they meet the high standards of NNS
- Supervise reporters, photographers, student interns and community volunteers,
- Assist the editor in managing the newsroom, working collaboratively to craft strategies that further the organization’s mission
- Work closely with our partners in News414 — a project that uses text messages, social media, events and other tools to listen to and then provide critical information to underserved audiences
- Spur and expand collaboration efforts with our media partners, with the goal of getting our stories to a wider audience
- Coordinate regular training sessions to elevate the skills of staff
- Represent NNS at community events so we stay embedded and connected in the communities we serve
- Lead editorial meetings and oversee the rollout of special projects.
We’re looking for someone who is committed to serving readers, has excellent interpersonal communication skills, is good at multitasking, is attentive to detail (but can see the forest for the trees) and endorses our mission to paint a complete portrait of our neighbors by celebrating the ordinary people who do extraordinary things, connecting them to the resources they need to navigate their lives, serving as a ferocious watchdog on their behalf and giving them a platform to voice their opinions on issues.
Relevant skills:
- 7+ years of journalism experience, with at least three years of experience managing writers
- Outstanding editing, coaching, organizational and communication skills
- Ability to multitask and work on deadlines
- Experience in WordPress or similar content management systems
- Self-starting, proactive attitude
- Copy-editing experience, with expertise in SEO headlines
We know that there will be great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who hold important skills we haven’t listed. Don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We also encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities.
About NNS
The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (https://milwaukeenns.org/), often referred to as NNS, is an ambitious, collaborative and pioneering journalism venture that for 10 years has delivered fact-based news to communities of color (primarily Black and Latinx). Housed in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the editorially independent news service consists of a part-time staff of six, two Report for America corps members, student interns and community volunteers.
Supported by the city’s generous philanthropic community and by individual donors, NNS also has secured national attention this year and was one of 28 news organizations serving communities of color to receive capacity-building funding from the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy and a $1.4 million shared grant with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism from the American Journalism Project.
Interested candidates should apply quickly as we will start evaluating candidates immediately. Click here to apply.
What a beautiful group of people!